Three Years in Wonderland cover art

Three Years in Wonderland

The Disney Brothers, C. V. Wood, and the Making of the Great American Theme Park

Preview

Try for $0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Three Years in Wonderland

Written by: Todd James Pierce
Narrated by: Al Kessel
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.26

Buy Now for $22.26

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

While the success of Disneyland is largely credited to Walt and Roy Disney, there was a third, mostly forgotten dynamo instrumental to the development of the park: fast-talking Texan C. V. Wood. Three Years in Wonderland presents the never-before-told, full story of "the happiest place on earth".

Using information from more than 100 unpublished interviews, Todd James Pierce lays down the arc of Disneyland's development from an idea to a paragon of entertainment.

In compelling detail, Three Years in Wonderland lays out the struggles and rewards of building the world's first cinematic theme park and convincing the American public that a $17 million amusement park was the ideal place for a family vacation. The early experience of Walt Disney, Roy Disney, and C. V. Wood is one of the most captivating untold stories in the history of Hollywood.

Pierce interviewed dozens of individuals who enjoyed long careers at the Walt Disney Company as well as dozens of individuals who - like C. V. Wood - helped develop the park but then left the company for good once the park was finished. Through much research and many interviews, Three Years in Wonderland offers listeners a rare opportunity to stand shoulder to shoulder with the men and women who built the best-known theme park in the world.

©2016 Todd James Pierce (P)2019 Tantor
Business & Careers Popular Culture United States
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Three Years in Wonderland

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

I’m not a Disneyland fan, never been to a theme park, but still found this entertaining. The very idea to open a theme park was revolutionary at the time, so it was interesting to hear the story from ideation to opening. All did not go smoothly, and opening day was a it of a disaster, but I suppose they fine tuned and made it work in the end. This book stops a year or two after opening, so don’t expect the modern expansion story. Well focused on this specific period.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

pretty good

Enjoyed the story, but was disappointed that it wasn't narrated by Todd James Pierce. I only learned of this book because of his podcast.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!